Thursday, November 15, 2007

Lazy or Smart? You Decide.

Option 1 - Homemade Thanksgiving dinner for the Goofy household (plus in-laws):

$20 Turkey
$ 5 Ingredients for Cornbread Stuffing
$ 6 Potatoes for Mashing
$ 5 Ingredients for Green Bean Casserole
$ 5 Dinner Rolls
$ 7 Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie
$ 7 Ingredients for Apple Pie
$ 10 Miscellaneous: Butter, Cranberry, Cool Whip, Gravy, etc.

NOTE: This does NOT include the TIME spent thawing, preparing, mixing, stuffing, buttering, cooking, baking, slicing, whipping and....cleaning up. Groan.

Option 2 - Go out for Thanksgiving dinner to a Restaurant that:
- won the Best Overall Restaurant in KC in 2006
- is located on the Country Club Plaza, which is famous for turning on their obscenely huge array of Christmas Lights on Thanksgiving night
- serves the full-blown traditional turkey dinner (including dessert), all-you-can-eat, for $20 per person
- did I mention that kids eat free?
- or that Goofy Junior LOVES Christmas Lights?

This year we are choosing Option 2*. We have reservations at 6:30pm. The Plaza Lights go on at 6:45pm.

No cooking, no cleaning - just eating, drinking and getting in the merry spirit of the holidays.

So...Lazy or Smart?

I say BOTH.

*My mom-in-law's quote was "Boy, we are getting smarter in our old age, aren't we?" so I think she's down with it.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've had many a Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant. Sometimes they're classy ones like the one you're describing. We've also had our feast at HomeTown Buffet and Cracker Barrel. There's nothing wrong with saving yourself all the hard work!

lorib said...

Totally smart. The Plaza lights are so fun and to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving feast without the work -- that is a no brainer to me. Have a wonderful Turkey Day!

Mojavi said...

sooooo jealous!!

Margo K said...

Hi goofy girl. I live in KC and am considering checking out the lighting ceremony on Thanksgiving night. Do you have any tips about parking, when to arrive to get a spot, and where to hang out? Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hey Reading Mom (and other interested folks) -
I found this site that details parking spots, etc. for the Plaza lighting ceremony. Our plan is to park AS FAR AWAY from the main stage, that way we can make a quick break when the festivities are over. Of course, if you love crowds, park closer.

Hopefully the weather will warm a bit!

http://www.kansascity.com/static/media/PlazaLights_Flash/index.html
(click on Parking to see that info)

Goofy Girl

Anonymous said...

OOPS!!

Here's the entire link:

http://www.kansascity.com/static/media/PlazaLights_Flash/index.html

Anonymous said...

Oh fer crying out loud!

Let me try again:

http://www.kansascity.com/static/media/
PlazaLights_Flash/index.html

Margo K said...

How amazing that you saw my question and had time to comment with Thanksgiving festivities swirling about! (By the way, the first link you sent had everything in it - THX.)

My group of 9 isn't too excited about braving the crowds and cold tonight. We are new the KC and likely being transferred next year and this is my last chance to see this unique event in person. I think I'll go with one or two of my brave comrades and leave the rest at home to watch it on TV! Thanks again!

Anonymous said...

Reading Mom -
It's amazing the amount of time I had, with no cooking or cleaning up or the inevitable trip to the store for forgotten items. We had a great visit with our relatives, took a brisk walk around Ernie Miller, and had time for a nap before heading down to the Plaza.

I'll post more about our adventures later today!